The 13th Kingdom :: Laby & 10K Xover :: on hold ::
by Diana
Summary: Wolf, Virginia & Tony are unexpectedly summoned back from the 10th Kingdom to rescue the kingdoms from a mysterious threat & find the missing Sarah Williams. Crossover story with 'Labyrinth'.
1. Prologue

**Title:** The 13th Kingdom  
**Author:** Diana  
**Crossover:** Labyrinth & 10th Kingdom miniseries  
**Rating:** PG-13 (mild language :: violence & assorted mature situations.)  
**Disclaimer:** The following productions & characters are associated to the companies listed below & not with me:  
_"Labyrinth",_ Sarah Williams & Jareth, the Goblin King :: Jim Henson Productions, Lucasfilm LTD & Columbia Tristar. _"The 10th Kingdom",_ Prince Wendell, Tony, Wolf, Virginia & Christine :: NBC Television, Hallmark Entertainment & the book by Kathryn Wesley. They are used here (under the terms of the Fair Use Policy) for non-profit, fan-fictional purposes only and no copyright infringement is intended. All of the other characters used in this story are copyrighted to me & may not be reused in other fiction without my express permission. Do not archive or repost without contacting me. Story © :: 1999-2007 -- rewritten version © 2007 :: Diana.  
**Summery:** Virginia, Wolf & Tony are summoned back to the 9 Kingdoms to find Sarah Williams & rescue them from the threat of the 'Dark Lord', who is planning to conquer the kingdoms for his own.  
**Feedback:** Is welcome.  
**A/N:** My apologies over the delay in continuing this story (& others). Even I'm not entirely sure what happened -- but I moved into other venues & Labyrinth was forgotten for awhile. Still, I had some solid ideas for these stories back when I first wrote them -- so I've decided to rewrite & continue them, since they were good stories to begin with. Unfortunately I cannot just pick them up from where they left off -- I have a policy now that any of my fiction that predates 2002 has to be rewritten or edited before I can continue it -- my writing style has simply altered too much for me to be able to simply continue old stories. Right now, my plans are only to rewrite & finish three of these stories (The 13th Kingdom, Shadows of the Past & Beauty is Only Skin Deep) -- I will consider others once those are complete.

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**:: The 13th Kingdom ::**

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_Prologue_

Once upon a time, in the golden age of the 9 Kingdoms -- there lived five great queens. But three of these queens were considered to be the greatest of all. Queen Red Riding Hood, Queen Cinderella & Queen Snow White. Heroines even among their own; each immortalized in tales of love that circulated the 9 Kingdoms in which they dwelled. Each was blessed with beauty and wisdom (which made them wonderful rulers), for all their people loved them, and 'happily ever after' lasted for many years. Each ruled three kingdoms exactly, but they were all such a pleasure to deal with that no one ever had trouble with that arrangement.

Queen Cinderella was known for her compassion & humility. Though unquestionably beautiful, her years as a servant had taught her not to judge by social status. She was renown for her treaty of abolishing slavery in the 9 Kingdoms and making all her subjects equals. She was kind & generous & her annual royal balls were the talk of the kingdoms. Everyone was welcome, no one left before the stroke of twelve & if a gentleman asked to remove a lady's shoe, it meant he was proposing, which quickly became a favorite method of 'popping the question' & led to many happy --tho shoeless-- women everywhere.

Queen Red Riding Hood became a mighty advocator for the protection of endangered animals. Her wildlife preservation parks spread all across the 9 Kingdoms. She was also responsible for driving the packs of evil wolves out and imprisoning others who were known to eat humans. Her subjects all loved the delicious sweets she prepared every year for the Grandmother's Memorial Day Picnic.

Queen Snow White was the most powerful queen of them all, though she'd never admitted it. Nearly destroyed by her stepmother, she remained ever kind and loving. Everyone who knew her insisted they felt comforted just by being in her presence. Her face was beautiful, but more than that it reflected the true beauty of her soul. Having suffered the lack of love all her life, she sought that none of her subjects experience a life without love. Her heart and home was open to one and all, loving each subject dearly and unconditionally, embracing them when they needed it and chastening them gently when they were inclined to be naughty. Her subjects could knew she loved them and they in turn loved her passionately and among all the 9 Kingdoms, Snow White was the most favorite queen of all.

But since all of the queens adored one another they got on famously, none recalling their own deeds for a second, but lived in awe of the other two whom they saw as great heroines. Their mutual admiration and friendship kept the kingdoms in peace and they often teamed up to deal with threats against the land. Unified they drove the dragons, sea serpents, gargoyles, griffins and other such dangerous creatures out of the land. They backed the trolls into the enchanted mountains and kept them there for many years. They also imprisoned several dangerous dwarfs, demons, witches and even Sleeping Beauty's evil fairy godmother in the Snow White Memorial Prison. By removing the dangers from the land, they were able ensure happiness for their subjects and generally only had to deal with minor problems such as land disputes and greedy inheritances, small fare compared to life before the Golden Age. And so everyone lived in relative peace and safety. For a while.

All things change. Sooner or later they change. 'Happily ever after' is only a 'fairy-tale' after all.

Because the land was so peaceful, soon the great queens and kings grew impatient. They were bit by the traveling bug and sought faithful retainers for their kingdoms as they endeavored to explore the other worlds surrounding the 9 Kingdoms. Though convinced of the existence of worlds beyond their current reality, for a while they couldn't pass into them. Not until Snow White turned 25. For her birthday, the young queen was given a unique gift from the dwarfs beneath the enchanted mountains. They had built her three amazing traveling mirrors which would finally broke the spell that bound all creations in the 9 Kingdoms to their own world. Naturally Snow White was delighted and asked Red Riding Hood and Cinderella to accompany her on her journey. Her friends immediately took her up on her invitation and the three queens went journeying through the mirror together. They were gone for many years. And that trip was the talk of the 9 Kingdoms down to the very day they returned.

To the delight of everyone, the queens told delightful stories of another kingdom were there were no enchanted forests, perilous mountains, fabulous wizards or magical occurrences. And all the people in this strange land thought the great queens themselves were only made-up stories. Naturally everyone found this to be absolutely ridiculous and laughed at the very idea of such a strange place, sure that the merry queens were teasing them. But they enjoyed the stories of this strange land very much and always asked for Cinderella, Snow White and Red Riding Hood to repeat them at story time. Which the queens always did, for they loved nothing better than indulging their subjects.

But when asked what else they had seen, the queens would exchange wary looks & quickly change the subject. Young children who would hear from their parents about the strange land with 'no fairytales', would earnestly believe in the impossible place and daydream about the mysterious lands beyond, where adventure must lie around every corner. But by the time they grew up, they'd quite forgotten their childhood beliefs about the lands beyond the 9 Kingdoms and thought it only an amusing story for their own children. And so the inhabitants of the 9 Kingdoms might wonder what lie beyond the walls of their safe little kingdom, but they never discovered the truth. And it was well for them that they didn't.

No mystery can be kept forever. And although the golden years of the kingdoms remained happy and peaceful as the great queens ruled, it was only their bravery that kept evil at bay. And so, the time has come for you to know what the queens discovered beyond the walls of the 10th Kingdom.

The 10th Kingdom, more commonly known as our own modern world, is unknowingly bordered on both sides by other 'kingdoms' and it's the aftermath of both worlds that wash into ours, which is why our world struggles with both good and evil so consistently. On the one side, it is bordered by the good 9 Kingdoms; the realm of fairytales & dreams -- wise, happy and prosperous. But if the goodness spills over from the 9 Kingdoms… then where does the evil side come from?

Of course. You guessed it. On the other side of the mortal realm lie the Dark Kingdoms. Three dark kingdoms in fact. The three queens stumbled upon them by mistake and lived to regret it. Escaping barely with their lives, the three queens made a pact never to mention the Dark Kingdoms to their subjects for fear of worrying them needlessly. They also made a pact to destroy the mirrors as soon as they reached the safety of their kingdoms once more, so that the evil would never have the chance to enter their world.

But once they returned, Snow White couldn't bear to destroy such a wondrous gift. The dwarves had worked so hard to manufacture it just to please her. But she also saw the danger the mirrors posed to her subjects. And her love for them was equally strong. So she hid the mirrors, one carefully in the highest tower of her castle, where none could gain access to it but herself. One she ordered secretly dropped in the Great Circle Sea. And the last she hid in the lowest, dankest dungeons of the prison, where not even prisoners went because it was catacomb of isolated passages. Only the queen herself knew where they led. And over time the mirrors passed into legend and were forgotten. The other queens always assumed she had destroyed them. It was the only secret Snow White never told them. Little did she know that her carefully made decision to preserve the mirrors would provide help during her kingdom's greatest hour of need. And that they would also provide access to the greatest peril the 9 Kingdoms ever faced.

As for the dark kingdoms, well -- only the three brave queens saw them and even they only knew half of it. The 11th Dark Kingdom was a swamp, manufacturing most of the monsters and creepers to terrorize children, but there were worse distortions and grotesque monstrosities hidden in beyond the mire that defy the mind of mortals. Red Riding Hood was the one who discovered this kingdom, but even her love for animals could not protect her.

The 12th Dark Kingdom was worse still; the very birthplace of predators and demons, spawning evil unlike the world has ever seen. Wolves and lions fed on sheer bloodlust, while mindmelders and shapeshifters trained to corrupt, seduce and entirely destroy anyone unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. Cinderella was the one who discovered this and her gentle nature was soon shattered as one of her own glass slippers.

But Snow White had the most troubling experience of any, for the 13th Kingdom was the worst of them all.

And that is where this story… begins.

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	2. Chapter One

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**:: One ::**

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_Lips red as blood…_

Darkness. The sharp smell of snow. A howl split the air, followed by two more.

_Red as blood…_

Her legs were pumping but she still wasn't going fast enough. They would catch her. She was so cold. So very cold. Her shoulders shook violently with cold, almost outweighing the fear. Almost.

They would catch her.

_As blood…_

Her foot jabbed against a stone buried under the snow and she gasped with pain. Almost stumbling, she forced herself to retain her balance and pressed on with adrenaline borne of desperate fear. She couldn't afford to fall. They would catch her.

The words swirled around in her head with dark intensity. _Do you think you are fairer than me? _Her jaw still throbbed, but she forced her mind to shut out the pain. If only she could shut out the words. But they haunted her, driving her with fear, filling her mind with more pain than the injury.

The howls grew closer. A warm tide slid down towards her shirt and her hand flew up to catch it again, but she wasn't fast enough. Drops fell and stained the snow, vivid scarlet clashing across the stark whiteness of the snow. She couldn't stay here. They'd see the trail. She had to keep moving.

_They would catch her._

Her foot caught again, but this time she wasn't so lucky. She pitched forward, hands flying out to brace her against the fall. But this time it wasn't a tree branch buried under the snow – it was a boot. A boot -- glossy black -- and a pair of gloves, equally black, that gripped her shoulders, preventing her from hitting the hard earth. She looked up, having no idea what a picture she made -- hair whipping around her shoulders in the wind, black as ebony against a frame of frozen white. Her skin was paler than the snow, all the color washed away with fear. And her fingertips, pressed frantically against her mouth, staining it red with blood.

_Lips as red as blood…_

"Please," she begged, staring into a pair of merciless -- and mismatched -- eyes. "_Please_ help me."

His gloved fingertips left her shoulders and trailed to her wounded neck, blood dripping down and leaving streaks on the shiny leather. He didn't say a word; he just kept her pinned with that intense mismatched stare.

"Please! _Jareth!_"

The howls grew closer and there was a hungry edge on the echoes. Wordlessly the Goblin King swiveled a blood-soaked wrist, formulating a crystal on the end of it. He held it out to her invitingly.

_Red as blood…_

She reached for it, ice forming on her fingertips -- just inches away. . .

"Sarah."

This voice was soft, gentle. It encouraged her to open her eyes, so Sarah did.

"Sarah honey, wake up. It was just a nightmare."

Sarah gasped and sat up, darting a frantic glance around the room. "Why is it so dark?" she cried out, shivering. A figure quickly crossed the room and lit a candle. The golden light slowly materialized and strengthened, chasing away the shadows.

"It's ok Sarah," the soothing voice continued, coming from a middle-aged looking woman. She was plump and motherly, her silvery gray hair wrapped in a bun atop her head. She leaned beside the bed and patted Sarah's hand. "You are ok now. I'm sorry I had to wake you my dear, but you were screaming again."

Sarah blinked rapidly and ran a trembling hand through her dark hair. She pulled away from the other woman and grabbed her sweat-soaked satin sheets, wrapping them protectively like a shroud around her body. Her hands gripped them so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"I'm fine now," she said hoarsely. "I'll be ok. I'll be ok."

Reluctantly the other woman nodded and moved away. Even after the candle was blown out again & Sarah was tucked back in bed, the images still floated across her mind. Memories she tried so hard to shut out, but they haunted her at night, when she was defenseless. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to block them again, but in her mind she could still hear the howls. So desperate. So _hungry_.

_They would catch her. It was only a matter of time._

* * *

"Virginia." Wolf paused at the bottom of the steps, one foot tapping impatiently. "Virginia, c'mon. We are going to be late."

Virginia took a last glance at her carefully applied make-up, ensuring she hadn't missed anything. Her hair, which had grown out some since their experience in the 9 Kingdoms, was now pulled on top of her head in a shiny mass of short brown curls. Her cheeks were flushed and her dark blue eyes sparkled with happiness. Today was the day. The day she and Wolf would actually be married, (or as Wolf would put it) mated for life.

When she'd first met Wolf, the last thing she'd ever anticipated between them was marriage. They had definitely not started out on the right foot. He, working for her evil step-mother and a refugee of the Snow White Memorial Prison, hadn't impressed her. She considered herself a normal waitress who had no intentions of getting involved with some deranged lunatic who thought he was a wolf. And it hadn't helped matters that Wolf tempted her father with some 'magic wishing beans' and then tried to eat her grandmother. And though Wolf had repented of his wrongs and accompanied Virginia and her father to overcome Christine, it had still taken Virginia quite a while to trust him. But Wolf's true devotion to Virginia prevailed and she finally accepted the love Wolf offered her and never regretted it a moment since.

She smiled whimsically and placed a hand on her softly rounded stomach. Her ring, an odd curio that actually sang to its owner, had not lied when it blithely chanted that Wolf and Virginia would be expecting a little one. Virginia smiled again. About six months along, she thought to herself. And Wolf was even friskier at Hide 'N Go Seek than ever. She could only _pray_ that this little one would not come in a 'litter'.

"Coming," she called back, opening her door a crack so Wolf could hear. Her grandmother was walking up the landing and she smiled faintly at Virginia when the bride stuck her head out. It had taken time to convince Grandmother that Wolf wasn't a total lunatic. He'd just accidentally taken the wrong prescription that morning, which caused the hallucinations and intense paranoia that prompted his strange behavior. At least, this was the story Virginia told to Grandmother. Wolf did his part by quietly sitting beside her, trying to look innocent and wholesome and not at all the type of man to eat his fiancée's grandparents. He'd almost started to whine his own apology, but Virginia elbowed him warningly. So he switched to a placating smile and a charming demeanor. Grandmother wasn't entirely convinced, but a few extravagant trinkets (courtesy of Prince Wendell, who graciously provided the investment money for their restaurant, 'The Wolf's Den' out of his own treasury) finally brought her around to Wolf's point of view and it hadn't taken them long to reach good terms again.

"Hello Grandmother," said Virginia, smiling at the older woman. Grandmother paused in the hallway and opened her purse, plucking out a white handkerchief. She handed it to Virginia with a wry smile.

"Something borrowed," she said promptly. Virginia smiled. How like her grandmother to remember that old tradition. Actually it was complete now, she thought to herself. The wedding dress was new, her mother's had of course been sold with the rest of her things years ago. It was in fact the same white dress she wore on her last day in the 9 Kingdoms. Prince Wendell had given it to her as a gift, as well as the coronet that was once part of the crown jewels themselves. Something old. And she had a fragment of Wolf's blue coat that she kept with her always. It had torn free during their -- um, Hide 'N Seek game. And it remained with her as a precious memory. Something blue.

"Did you fetch your ring yet, dear?"

"No Grandmother," Virginia said, flushing guiltily. To be truthful, the ring freaked her out. While her grandmother was entranced by it, thinking it yet another example of the immense wealth of her new eccentric grandson-in-law, Virginia hated the little thing. Not only was it impertinent, it was just downright scary. She was a little upset to find it had returned in the middle of her fish and refused to finish the entrée afterward. But Wolf liked it so much (not to mention how much he had paid for the darn thing) that she couldn't bear to hurt his feelings by telling him she disliked it. So finally she hit on the perfect solution. She told Wolf that she simply couldn't wear the ring for fear of losing the irreplaceable trinket, then she strapped it on her key-ring. Now all she had to do was whistle and the ring would trill an annoying little rhyme like:

'_Tis a shame that such a valuable ring like me,_  
_Should make up for one's faulty memory.'_

But Virginia didn't mind. She hadn't lost her keys in six weeks.

"Well, perhaps you'd better get it so you don't forget it," Grandmother advised solemnly. Her eyes lingered on Virginia's coronet however and her brows puckered into a slight frown.

"That's a lovely piece of jewelry, isn't it dear?" she remarked. "I don't recall seeing that before."

"Wolf bought it for me. It was a gift from him."

Virginia was still searching the dresser for her keys, so she missed the change that came over Grandmother's face. First there was surprise. A very violent surprise, almost more like a shock. Then a dark frown. It was plain to see that Grandmother was disturbed about something, but her tone was neutral when she replied.

"I see."

Virginia spotted the keys and scooped them up, snapping the ring free and slipping it into a small velvet box. She turned and the frown left Grandmother's face, but not before Virginia saw it. She was puzzled, but when Grandmother said nothing, Virginia forgot the incident. She had too much else on her mind to worry about.

"Am I ready?"

Grandmother smiled whimsically, raising a hand and carefully corrected the position of the coronet in Virginia's gleaming hair. The diamonds glittered like stars against the gnarled fingers and Grandmother's smile faded away as she lowered her hand and stared for a minute.

"Ready," she said suddenly. "Let's go."

Virginia smiled and followed her grandmother down the hall. When they reached the staircase, Wolf's eyes leapt to where she was standing, watching as she descended. His green, glowing gaze made a slow and thorough perusal of her and Virginia had to fight back a blush.

After she reached the foot of the stairs, she couldn't seem to meet his eyes. It seemed ridiculous to be nervous after all they had been through together, but she couldn't help it. It was a different situation when they were in the Kingdoms and so far removed from anything normal, it'd been second nature to rely on him, to instinctively reach out to him when things went wrong. Now they were back in reality and it was difficult to trust again. Virginia was just an ordinary waitress again. And ordinary waitresses did not go off on fairytale adventures, or have half-wolf lovers or save enchanted kingdoms -- that world just seemed so far away now. Virginia always wanted her life to be a fairy story and now she had stumbled upon the fact that fairy stories weren't all what they were cracked up to be. Could she really find her happy ending with her Wolf Charming? Did she even want to try?

As if guessing her doubts, Wolf gently lifted her chin with the tip of one index finger. He smiled warmly straight into her wide blue eyes, his own green ones dancing, making her think of warm tropical seas. Then he leaned down just enough to drop a kiss lighter than the breeze on her forehead. Virginia felt her edginess melt away and she gratefully slid her arm in his.

"It's going to be ok," Wolf said fervently. His passion brought a mixture of relief and amusement to Virginia. It was customary, for Wolf was never passive about anything. It was also a comfort, for Wolf hadn't been wrong yet.

Grandmother handed Virginia her bouquet and muttered something degrading about that bum Tony, too lazy to come to his own daughter's wedding. Virginia didn't notice. It was time.

An usher led Grandmother to her seat and the music cued up as Wolf rushed to take his place in the front. Mr. Murray took Virginia's arm and led her slowly down the aisle, babbling on happily about what a pleasure it was to marry off the daughter of 'the Master'. In fact, the whole wedding audience was almost completely composed of the Murray family, all still under the spell of the wishing bean. They were sitting respectfully and beaming with pride, as if it was 'the Master' himself getting married in front of them.

No sooner had Virginia thought this, when 'the Master' himself came bursting into the sanctuary of the church, making Virginia believe for a moment that she'd dreamed him up. The entire Murray family flew to their feet, cheering at the safe return of their master, but Tony paid them no heed as he ran up to a surprised Wolf and Virginia. He was so distracted he didn't even seem to notice the significance of the occasion.

"You have to come back," he gasped out. "The 9 Kingdoms are under attack and you are the only one who can help us. You have to come back and find Sarah Williams."

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	3. Chapter Two

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**:: Two ::**

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Even in the midst of solitude, the 12th Kingdom was never quiet. Evil itself lurked there, waiting, ready to sweep through like a plague. Evil never slept, never rested, always anticipating its next move. Though there was always an air of general restlessness; something was different on this particular day. Excitement was in the air; a tangible feeling of fear and awe unlike anything before. He was coming and all knew it. The entire kingdom hustled to make preparations for his arrival. From the loftiest supervisor to the lowliest slave, they all knew his name and they trembled in awe of him. His satisfaction could assume them power beyond their wildest aspirations; his displeasure could bring them instantaneous torment for eternity. He would be here soon. They had to be ready.

The inhabitants of the 12th Kingdom, save one, stood obediently at attention, though the move might have been more convincing if everyone was actually standing still at the time. All the evil, vile and grotesque of creatures fought for dominance, shoving, kicking, clawing, biting, spitting, cursing, wrestling and assaulting one another for the hallowed moment of approval in the eyes of their lord. Elves watched with shifty suspicious eyes, their quick fingers never ceasing to do mischief; goblins swarmed everywhere in huge hordes, tormenting anyone who got in their way (and sometimes just for the fun of it) with red-hot pokers; demons of all shapes and sizes chortled their gleeful welcome, their predatory yellow eyes gleaming in the darkness, chugging out clouds of foul sulfurous breath. Warriors, spies and turncoats engaged in a furious bloodbath in his honor while harpies and furies with hideous blood-engorged faces shrieked their delight as they swooped down from the sky to catch any prey not quick enough to dodge their razorsharp talons. Ghoals, goblins and phantoms flitted here, there and everywhere causing as much mischief as they could, while sorcerers, wizards, shape-shifters and witches all worshiped him, dancing and chanting their maniacal incantations half in a trance, half out, lining up the innocent souls they had captured for his pleasure. The mortals who had stumbled into this hell, whether by mistake or seduction, were propelled to the front by their owners, their beaten, bruised, mutilated bodies displayed like a gruesome trophy, their half-dead minds only slightly conscience of the further torment being inflicted upon them in hopes that their cries of pain would catch his ear. He was to be worshipped and adored by all, but one. She had not moved since she first came. Always sitting in the same spot, head lifted proudly. Ignoring everyone with the same even arrogance. No one had touched her. But after all, she was only one woman. Surely, he would never notice her among so many.

Suddenly the air was filled with unearthly darkness, even stronger than the evil that usually overshadowed the kingdom. One shadow, slightly darker than the rest, separated itself and moved without a sound, descending from the sky into the midst of them, in the shape of a coach, but with no substance. Just a black hole, as if one had taken a cookie cutter and cut a coach-shaped piece out of the sky, leaving the rest behind. It was nearly invisible but it was there, plain as day, unmistakably there. They all knew it. He was here. The emissary.

The door to the coach swung open and immediately the onlookers fell away as two pale elegant footmen stepped down, soundlessly conducting the emissary out of his midnight carriage. Everyone pressed forward, waiting with baited breath to see what he would look like. Most of the crowd had never before seen an inhabitant of the 13th Kingdom, and those who had had never seen an emissary of his position before. It was said that this emissary had even counseled with the Dark Lord himself on occasion. They were hoping for someone as awe-inspiring as the legends had hinted. And they were not disappointed.

The emissary stepped out, giving the crowd plenty of time to admire him. He was at least 8 feet in height and his physique was equally impressive. Powerful muscles rippled across his wide shoulders, the biceps stood out on his upper arms like iron bands, the immense girth of his upper body enough to make them all step back respectfully. That all tapered down to a strong waist and powerful legs clad in black thigh-high boots that crushed everything beneath them with his relentless tread. Though he was shaped like a man, he wasn't one, or at least if he was once he had become a man so corrupted he no longer could be considered an heir to the mortal race. His skin was black as midnight in sin and leathery to the touch, soft but almost silky soft. Jet black hair streamed down his back in wild abandon and his face was dark and inhuman, twisted into a cold look of complete ruthlessness. His eyes were large and yellow, utterly soulless. His nose was also large and it twitched with the scent of fresh blood, lured by the coppery smell like a hunter to its prey. A rich black velvet cape swirled around his shoulders like a shroud, jewels so heavy they could knock out an elephant shone from his head in a blaze of dark glory, a blood red pendant a goddess would kill for swinging from his neck, golden bracelets in an array of colors wrapped around his arms, a single band of gold clasping his biceps. His oblique yellow gaze never looked once to the right or to the left since stepping free of the coach, his face distant as if trying to pick up a faint trace of something that was beyond them all. At last, he breathed his first words, his voice harsh, yet alluring.

"Bring me the woman."

From the second he had stepped into their world to this very second, there had been complete silence in the entire 12th Kingdom. Now the noise started to build again, everyone wanting to know which woman, who she was, why he was here for her, what the Dark Lord needed, who was going to fetch the woman once they found her and many more pointless questions. In the midst of this blather, a small hobgoblin, a personage of hardly any distinction at all was captured and shoved up front to stand before the emissary. His name was Guzzle and he was chosen to be the guide for the emissary as long as he was here. At first Guzzle had thought it was a great honor, meaning he had gone up in the esteem of his peers. But even for the dimwitted hobgoblin, it hadn't taken long to see that he was chosen in case anything went wrong while the emissary was here. Then it would be Guzzle's butt that would fry, not his supervisors. This naturally made Guzzle extremely nervous as he was dragged up to serve the emissary. But armed with the instinct to survive, as all underlings are, Guzzle was determined to find out what his sovereign visitor wanted and provide it as quickly as possible. And he was pretty sure he knew what that was now, ever since he had heard 'woman'.

"The woman is over here, milord," Guzzle said, bouncing up and down with excitement. His miniscule brain was already leaping ahead from nervousness to joy. What if the emissary was so pleased he mentioned Guzzle to his superiors, perhaps even (could one imagine such an honor?) to the Dark Lord Himself?! Guzzle could become the 12th Kingdom's most powerful goblin overnight. He could become a captain of his own legion of goblins or he…

A swift kick in the boot reminded him bluntly that deeds come before honor. Guzzle hurried on ahead, having to leap forward to make up for giant strides of the dark form behind him. He led him away, the crowd parting instantly for the duo. Normally, they would have enjoyed tormenting the little hobgoblin, blocking his way and trying to humiliate him in front of their guest. But for now they were just too awed. They let him pass without comment.

Guzzle proudly led him past the swampy marshes where shadows flitted beyond the trees and stench rose from the moggy places like a thick fog, past the hollow where the dark sun burned down with scorching intensity killing all life that tried to inhabit there and past the cold black dungeons where one could be tortured so that they cried out for just the barest of human necessities, light, air or water. And yet Guzzle kept leading him down… down… until they finally reached the darkest, coldest, furthest corner of all the 12th Kingdom, so cold and foreboding even the twisted evil of the rest of the land dared not venture there. And the emissary smiled. For here she was. The one he had been sent to find. The woman.

"Christine," he purred. The word was seductive, almost a caress. The former queen never stirred, her face remained as impassive as before. She sat erect, draped in tattered green velvet and yet dignified despite the disrepair of her garments. Power and pride emanated from her in waves and royal bearing wrapped around her like a shroud. No matter what she had been demoted to, she was still a queen and her whole being demonstrated that. The emissary smiled in wicked delight as he observed the shoulders grow slightly stiffer, the noble chin tilt an inch higher and the piercing gaze freeze over.

"Maither," she finally replied. Her voice was toneless and her words distant as if she was repeating an old mantra of no importance now. Maither however, was obviously amused. His eyebrows soared as he let out a low venomous chuckle.

"Ah, so you were expecting me?"

When she refused to answer, he chuckled again. He knew why she was so determined not to acknowledge him and that only amused him more. How it must rankle, to have come so close to attaining the entire 9 kingdoms and yet have fallen so far. In fact, if she hadn't been as close as she had, it was doubtful that the Dark Lord would have searched her out as he was now. Her success, up to a point, was significant and it had not gone unnoticed.

"And there is only one way you could have been expecting me," he continued with a studied nonchalance. If he had managed to rouse the queen's curiosity, she hid it well. Her shoulders remained as straight and her face as level as before. He circled her once; then half knelt before her, his elbow resting casually on his knee as he took the time to study her more closely. To her credit, Christine didn't blink an eyelash as she returned his steady gaze with a trace of disdain.

"You must have heard the Dark Lord calling you," he finished softly. "You have heard him call… and you ready to obey his summons."

Christine's head whipped up so fast Maither would have stumbled backwards had he not been so composed. "Never," the queen hissed, her green eyes narrowing into slits. "Go to hell, if a hell worse then this exists. I'm dead now, and suffering my sins in solitude. Leave me in peace!"

"It is never wise to _defy_ the Dark Lord," Maither warned her. "You will end up serving him in the end. Already certain events have been set into motion in which you are to play a vital role. It is your mission to finish that which you started."

"Certain events?"

Maither smiled mockingly. "Even you must have heard the news, milady. Prince Wendell has brought back outworlders from the 10th Kingdom… hoping that _they_ could save him. Among them… your daughter." He grinned as he said this, hoping for a reaction. He was not disappointed.

"I don't _have_ a daughter," Christine hissed. Maither's expression, as best one could tell in his deceptively smooth black face, was one of surprise. His yellow eyes widened dramatically and his sulfurous breath chugged out at a faster pace.

"You–-_don't_," he repeated wickedly. "Then you deny that the chit who stole your kingdom was your very own daughter? Interesting. But irrelevent."

Christine flew to her feet. "I told you Maither," she bit out slowly. "I. Do. Not. _Have. _A. Daughter. Now leave me _alone._"

Maither's amusement vanished. "Don't do this Christine," he ordered, his yellow eyes flashing. "You have a chance to redeem yourself. You have been handed the opportunity to crush the House of White forever. Do not waste it."

"And do you presume to think that I want to redeem myself?"

"Don't you, my dear?"

"I don't take charity, Maither. Go tell _that_ to your master. I once almost ruled the Nine Kingdoms myself. Not even he has ever had that much power under his control. I am not as helpless as he thinks me to be."

There was a long pause after that. Then Maither nodded briefly.

"Fine. But make no mistake, Christine. You have served him for many years now. He has become part of you. You cannot escape him. There will come a time when he will call. . . and you will follow." He paused, then bent toward her once more. His smile becoming enticing, but the effort was wasted on Christine. It appeared more as a grimace. "And if it is your retribution you are worried about, don't be. You shall be well rewarded. The Dark Lord is still _very_ pleased with you."

The rage that had been building in Christine exploded then and she flew to her feet, composure taking a sudden hit and run. "You dare insult me to my face? Damn your Master and damn his pleasure. I am dead. I am no longer of any use to him and I prefer it that way." Her energy abruptly deflated like a punctured beach ball and she sank down on the rock she had been perched on before. "You are excused," she finished quietly and held up one hand in a dismissing gesture. Her message was clear: 'I am not going to talk about this anymore.'

Realizing that he would get no more out of her, Maither was forced to indulge the queen's temper. Briefly his eyes flicked over her. Christine's face was completely inscrutable. So with a tight nod and acidic smile, the courier turned on his heel and left the way he came.

On the way back to the coach, he barely noticed Guzzle still hovering around his feet like an anxious puppy seeking approval. His mind raced with probing questions. He took his time studying each one, his attitude sharp and caustic.

Christine's reaction was odd, but not totally unexpected. The question was, from what did it stem? Was it simply her defeat at the hands of her daughter that bothered her. Or was it more? There were three possible causes of her resentment, and Maither wanted to know which one was the real cause.

First, she could still be suffering bitterness and guilt from the recent loss of her kingdom, not to mention her life. But if that was the case, Maither's reassurances of his Lordship's favor should have defused her violent reaction. Instead, it had inflamed it. Of course, she could have transferred her bitter feelings to the Dark Lord, convincing herself that he was to blame for her failure. It was worthy of consideration.

Secondly, she could be simply letting off steam. The 12th Kingdom wasn't comfortable for mortals, and it had to be stressful on the former queen. It was also a logical explanation and explained why she had blown up at him for no reason. A person under great pressure will blow up at anyone, given opportunity. This too was worthy of consideration.

And finally, there was the distinct possibility that in some faint part of her mortality; a voice too long silenced was crying out, drawing her back from her old master. That was the possibility that Maither disliked the most. Yet it cried out to him the strongest. He hated it for it would make Christine ineffective for their purposes. But past deeds proved that the simplest betrayal had brought down the mightiest of foes. He _had_ to be sure.

His cape swirled around his shoulders as he thought; a velvet plumage rich enough to make the vainest peacock jealous. His yellow depthless orbs narrowed, his forehead creased making him almost resemble a basset hound on acid. His dark hand strayed for a millisecond to the deadly silver scimitar hanging on his side. There was more than one way to deal with a loose end.

He frowned. No, he had to explain the results of his mission to his Master. And killing one of the acolytes chosen by the Great Lord himself demanded a better explanation then: "Well, she spooked me a bit with her manner, milord." The Dark Lord had _commanded_ her presence himself. Had he known she would turn traitor? And_ did_ she turn traitor?

But the Dark Lord had been so sure. And one did not question the will of the Dark Lord. Maither had often seen small things that the he had requested. At the time they seemed absurd, yet later their great significance became apparent. Maither knew all too well that the Dark Lord never requested anything without a reason. His gaze turned thoughtful.

Yes, he would use the queen. For he had no doubt that she would return to them in time, just as his Lord had foreseen. Yet, Maither did not gain his standing with evil for nothing. He would use her yes, yet he would also watch her. Very closely. If she accomplished the purpose she was obtained for, well and good. But if she showed any signs of betrayal, he would have to eliminate her. Completely.

And he certainly hoped that she would not betray them after all. For her sake.

* * *


	4. Chapter Three

**

* * *

**

**:: Three ::**

* * *

"Your Majesty…your Majesty," an anxious voice came from the hall, followed by the slapping of booted feet on wooden floors and the murmuring of many voices. A courier rushed into the room, just barely avoiding being run over by flood of titled lords and nobles following him.

"Milord…

"…the mirror…"

"… it's face is starting to shift…"

"… they are coming through, your lordship."

Wendell beamed with delight. "It is time." He didn't bother clarifying it anymore than that. He didn't have to.

The energetic new king leaped to his feet and headed towards the door. Everyone else exchanged glances, and turned to follow him. When the king left, well -- there went the party.

When he and his many devoted lapdogs -- er, couriers reached the room with the traveling mirror, they stared into its flickering reflective surface, muttering back and forth between them. Wendell just smiled complacently, both eager to see his friends again and feeling a surge of hope, knowing things would soon right themselves once the former heroes arrived to fix things.

It had been a good 3 months since he had seen his good friends and he had greatly missed their support over that time. Of course he had Tony by his side in an important position. But it just wasn't the same as having all of them there on an adventure together. Wendell smiled whimsically for a moment, having the selective memory an individual often develops when they wish to mull over nostalgic times. It clearly excluded the fact that he was most uncomfortably transformed from two legs to four during the span of that adventure and chose only to recall how very close Tony, Virginia and yes -- even that Wolf fellow had become to him. He was eager to see them again.

His smile widened as the mirror slowly blurred, then an image swam into focus. It zeroed in on a very familiar (to Wendell, at least) patch of Central Park. A beautiful young lady with a diamond coronet and a wedding dress stood there, between two men. To her right was a handsome dark fellow, looking resplendent in a tuxedo and on her left was an older man, with scruffy brown hair surrounding a huge bald spot and a too tight purple suit. Together, they joined hands, shut their eyes and stepped awkwardly into the mirror. What happened next is hard to describe.

At first, they were still visible as themselves, and they stayed that way for another few seconds. But then they started to pick up speed and then they began to change, seeming to pick up other dimensions as they went. They stretched and shrank, lengthened and widened, then almost blipped out of existence. The effect was similar to what one sees when one enters a maze of mirrors and finds a reflection of themselves from all sorts of different sides and angles. They transformed, growing more and more like the animated picture you get when you flip through a bunch of illustrated paper fast. Their movements blurred and became jerky and deceptive to the eye because of all the reflections and counter reflections tossed by the mirrors they had passed through and the ones they were now passing through at supersonic speed. Even though the journey took no more than a moment, Wendell found himself having to close his eyes because the vision was making him nauseous.

Finally, as Virginia, Wolf and Tony reached the last mirror, they appeared flat and 2-dimensional like paper because of being on the wrong side. Then the vision blurred and they burst through shimmering glass together, indistinct and hard to see at first as their bodies trembled, the rest of them appearing to catch up and put all their dimensions back together. But at last they were solid once again and standing there large as life. Wendell smiled broadly, ushered a stray courier out of his path and bustled up to welcome them.

Virginia was the first to receive her hug and she was eagerly fussed over by the couriers and her softly rounded tummy admired as Wendell gave both Wolf and Tony warm handshakes, Wolf the proud father and Tony the good Grandpappy. They spent about fifteen minutes or so just happily exchanging news and gossip; Wendell apologizing for the inconvenience of interrupting the wedding but promising to make it up later, Virginia complaining about the baby's complications to her adventuring days, Wolf going on excitedly about the restaurant and its sumptuous menu and Tony giving everyone a full update about the industrial revolution and how much he had managed to accomplish in those brief 3 months. All in all, it was a hectic conversation and finally Wendell broke in to suggest they continue in the warmth of his private study, rather than the drafty attic where the traveling mirror was kept.

"After all," the prince continued with a good-natured air as he led his friends to the stairs; the line of couriers trailing behind meekly, "I did summon you back for a reason. A lot has changed that I need to discuss with you."

Virginia frowned. That sounded pretty serious. She sobered and shot a glance at her husband—well, almost husband. Wolf met her glance with his own puzzled one and just shrugged his broad shoulders imperceptibly. Virginia transferred the glance over to her father. He had been there longer than they had; surely he knew more about it. But Tony shook his head, indicating that it was too long to go into now and Wendell would explain it better. So eventually Virginia sighed and resigned herself to wait on the answers.

When they reached the study, two couriers dived forward to push open the heavy double doors as Wendell swept through with barely a glance, leaving his friends and the flood of couriers to follow behind. The three travelers did so willingly and the doors were shut behind them, clearly indicating this was a private council and they were not to be disturbed. To the others, it was yet another indication of how serious everyone took this mysterious situation.

Niles was Giles younger brother, but not young enough that there was much of a noticeable difference between them. In fact, Niles looked almost like a duplicate of his former brother, having the same calm gray eyes and bushy white beard, and he also shared his brother's same habit for trying to keep young King Wendell out of trouble.

"Your Majesty," he said in a dry tone, which would have done Giles proud, "are you quite sure this is the appropriate time to go into the topic. Perhaps we should allow our guests some time to rest and freshen up before burdening them with further details."

Wendell shook his head slowly. "No, Niles, it is imperative that we explain the situation immediately. Our need is dire and time is running out."

Virginia and Wolf exchanged glances again. Could Wendell be any vaguer? Yet it was apparent he was truly upset by something. His concern was valid, though his mannerisms were strange. Virginia began to feel like she was appearing in a surreal Faerie Tale Theatre episode.

Wendell began to pace, looking unsure where to begin. "First -- Virginia and Wolf, please allow me to welcome you back to the 4th Kingdom. It is always a pleasure to have you here my dear Virginia, not to mention Tony -- and yes, even Wolf." He flashed a smile that proved he was only joking. Wolf didn't take offense, merely smiling back amicably. "I only wish your visit was under more pleasant circumstances. Alas we will have little time to socialize. The situation worsens by the moment."

"Situation?" "Yes, situation. The 9 Kingdoms have been suffering a strange amount of evil influence lately. More than has touched the kingdoms in thousands of years and all of them are afflicted. Trolls, goblins, demons, harpies, furies, vampires, werewolves, witches -- creatures usually few and far between have been sighted in unlikely places and in greater numbers than ever before. Attacks on innocent citizens are increasing and they can no longer be passed off as coincidental or random. The residents of all kingdoms are starting to fear for their very lives and traveling between kingdoms is at an all time low. Never before have I seen such rampant evil spread so far or so quickly. Yet -- my greatest fear is that it is not over yet."

Wolf frowned. "How so?"

"There are more evil creatures now in the kingdoms than we have ever witnessed in our history. Still, there are not enough. The early dangers are far too staggered and are taken to great lengths to remain unnoticed. If it were an out-and-out attack, the death toll would be much higher. However, the secrecy behind this fuels my belief that their forces are not yet strong enough. When their flanks are full, they will attack. It will be innumerable and it will be devastating. Virginia, you and your company are our only hope. You must locate Sarah Williams and stop this attack before everything in the 9 Kingdoms is destroyed."

"Wait a sec here," Virginia protested, waving a hand in the air to draw attention. "Start at the beginning, ok? Who is Sarah Williams? Dad mentioned that name too, but I've never heard of her before. And what does she have to do with this? And where is all this evil coming from anyway?"

Wendell shook his head slowly. "So many questions Virginia. And alas, I can answer so few of them. What I have told you is almost all I know, which as you can see, is precious little. Sarah Williams is a name pulled from legend, as you'll soon see. She is a historical figure in the kingdoms, but hasn't been seen in quite some time. It is said that she once took on the Dark Lord face to face and defeated him for the life of her brother. It has also been said that it was she who eventually defeated the House of Red and brought balance back to the kingdoms. Which, if either, of these stories is true I cannot say. Nevertheless, they have made that name almost as famous as Snow White's."

"Wait, wait a second here. The House of Red?"

Wendell nodded. "Yes. In the golden age of the 9 Kingdoms, there were three great queens who ruled, and their dominions became known as the House of Red, the House of White and the House of Glass."

Virginia frowned. "Three great queens? I thought there were five." She shot an accusatory look at her husband, seeing how he was the one who first mentioned those queens to her so long ago. Wolf frowned, knowing there were five.

Wendell blinked. "Oh, well of course, you are quite right, Virginia. There were 5 great queens who ruled the 9 Kingdoms at some period of time, but when I speak of the three queens, I mean the greatest of these, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood and my grandmother, Snow White.  
The five great queens were Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Lady Rapunzel and Gretel the Good. Lady Rapunzel was a good queen and ruled well, but she abdicated her throne to open the finest hair salon in the history of the 9 kingdoms. Everyone's hair never looked better. And besides, they say Rapunzel never did care for royalty much.  
As for Gretel, she ruled well, but she too disappeared early in her reign when she embarked on a crusade to drive every witch out of the 9 kingdoms and protect all children from such encounters as she herself had when young. A noble aspiration, but it is considered to be foolhardy even among heroines to go out seeking every witch. Eventually, one of them is bound to outthink you. No one is sure exactly what happened to her… but you can see plainly why she is regarded as a heroine. At least, her bravery was never in question, even if her sanity was."

He began to pace thoughtfully, his brow furrowing as he decided what to reveal next.

"However, that is neither here nor there. The golden age was hundreds of years ago and what those two queens may have or haven't done is irrelevant. They are dead and gone now. We are facing a danger that they can no longer help us with. But you can."

Wolf lifted a dark brow. "Maybe you'd better be a bit more specific, Your Highness."

Wendell sighed. "Yes, I suppose I must be." He paused, then continued thoughtfully. "Long ago -- at the very dawning of the kingdoms -- two brothers were born. One, the elder, meant to rule and conquer. One, the younger, meant to guide and direct. Their names have become diminished over time, the true meanings behind them lost. However you would know the eldest best as Oberon."

"Oberon? The Fae King?"

"King of many things actually, not just the Fae Folk. However, due to the greed of his younger brother, Oberon was forced to fight to keep the throne that was rightfully his. Eventually he banished his brother entirely from the kingdoms, banned for eternity as a traitor. But his brother did not go quietly. He swore that he would one day take the kingdom back from Oberon, if not in this generation, then his vengeance would fall upon future generations. It is said that he cursed Oberon's seed until the very last of them fell. No one knows exactly what that curse entails, we have only seen the devastating consequences of it as it has dropped down to destroy generation after generation."

Wolf shifted a bit uneasily at that remark. He had to admit he didn't quite like the idea of a curse still hanging over Wendell, and so possibly involving them as well. Virginia glanced briefly at her husband before turning her gaze back to Wendell. She could see where he was coming from with the threats they were facing; it truly did sound desperate for the kingdom. Yet she still wasn't entirely sure where they came in.

"Ok…" she began softly, "…so you are possibly under attack because of something that happened ages ago between Oberon and his brother? But why call us back here because of it? You can hardly expect us to stop a whole war and if its Oberon's descendants who are cursed, let them deal with it I say."

Wendell smiled and clapped his hands together twice. Then he called out in a voice that rang majestically, rolling off the high ceiling and marble walls of his study.

"Bring out the sacred items."

It was amusing to witness the couriers that dived to and fro, scurrying to obey Wendell's orders. One retrieved a large key and unlocked a nearby storage room, while another rummaged around inside and brought out a small, ornately carved wooden box. From inside the box, Wendell reverently removed a small velvet square and spread it on the table in front of him. Then he pulled the items out one by one and gently laid them on the fabric as if they were made from the most delicate egg-shell china. First there was a small bracelet made of shiny plastic beads on an elastic string. Next, a girl's costume lipstick, red, in a cheap plastic container. And lastly a gold-plated ring, the type of cheap band one would get from a vending machine. Virginia stared at the items in utter disbelief.

"Wendell. I hate to say this -- but there is nothing at all valuable or precious about these items. It's just a bunch of junk."

Wendell smiled. "Ah, but that is where you are wrong milady. The value is not held in the items themselves, but in whom they once belonged to."

Wolf took up the question Virginia was dying to ask. "Well, who then?"

Wendell smiled again, a secretive type of smile this time. "A fascinating question. But we'll get to that. First though, there is something else I need to show you."

He led them over to an oaken desk, a beautifully carved piece of furniture that seemed, to the travelers at least, to be as old as time. It was a master desk, with many hidden drawers and cubby holes all over it, the type that attracts with the need to explore it. Most of the drawers had little keyholes in them, embossed with gold, since iron was forbidden in the castle because of its magic deflecting capabilities. Wendell had selected from a pouch at his belt, a ring of matching little gold keys and now he slid one into a lock on the third drawer down, reverently unlocking and pulling it open. Virginia and Wolf found themselves leaning a little closer in anticipation as Wendell lifted a parchment tied with a ribbon from the drawer and slid it shut again. Though he handled it gingerly, the parchment still crackled and was stained ivory with age.

The parchment was taken to the wide table where the 'sacred items' still lay and gently laid down and untied there. The parchment had to be rolled out with the greatest care to keep it from cracking and all the while, Wendell bounced back and forth on his heels excitedly, like a child about to tell a secret. Tony just looked a bit smug as he watched the parchment being unrolled. Virginia and Wolf couldn't get a word out of him, so they were forced to bide their time and wait as the slow process was finally completed.

"This is a prophecy from thousand of years, written even before the golden age, back in the time of Oberon himself," Wendell began, quickly regaining their rapt attention. "It details back to the war between Oberon and his brother and foretells that there would be another great war where his avarice brother would once again try to overtake this kingdom. Some thought that war was occurring back when the House of Red was overturned by my stepmother, bringing war between the Three Houses of the Golden Age. But I disagree. It is clearly indicated in the prophecy that the threat will come from outside of the 9 Kingdoms, from the Dark Lord himself. And while my stepmother did come from outside the 9 Kingdoms, I believe in this instance the Dark Lord himself is attacking us, as according to prophecy."

He pulled out a small pair of gold-rimmed spectacles and perched them on the edge of his thin nose, then began reading, deciphering the worn, aged parchment with difficulty.

"_When days were new and times were old_  
_'Twas the time was this story told_

_Told of two brothers, at war from their youth_  
_One rose in honor, honesty and truth_  
_One fell in darkness and to evil was enslaved_  
_His cruelty hast earned him a lonely grave_

_Banished for present, his festering hatred remains_  
_And will again rise, he that is his brother's only bane_  
_He shalt return, but not in face, overtake thy land_  
_His mark shall be an attack of his own right hand_

_Yet forth come the salvation of afar,_  
_Those who shalt free you from his snare_  
_Travelers beyond the sight of yon eye_  
_Yet to face the dark lord's lair_

_These art the travelers I doth prophesy to you_  
_One who bears four legs and yet two_  
_One who does most whilst lying down_  
_One whose legacy dost bear a crown_

_Yet one more to him his real threat doth lie_  
_13 hast been his defeat, 13 wilt be her prize_  
_Tho thine past is clouded, thy future hath merit_  
_But thy true power is found in what lies therein it_

_Once she walked a land where shadows rule_  
_His game was an adversary both generous and cruel_  
_Her life was a vassal whilst enemies doth lie in wait_  
_She hath won that battle, yet it was too late_

_As the crystal shattered, his world crumbled and fell down_  
_His spell was cast and to his power, she was irrevocably bound_  
_To win this war, it willst take courage to face this deadly fall_  
_Lest the land be rent in two and darkness cover all_

_13 hours thou shalt have, 13 hours small_  
_Yet 1 and 3 shall prove to be thy greatest challenge of all_  
_Travelers beware, for he is aware and prepared he shalt be_  
_And shall meet you there, unawares with the power of 1 and 3_

_Drawn betwixt two worlds are they_  
_Reality wilst play them a merry lark_  
_Yet not one, but three doors are there_  
_And not all lead to Central Park_

_Find ye first the fourth of your company_  
_The seer can thus guide your way_  
_Then pass through the glass to 10 and 1_  
_But be not led astray…_

_To the first of these, I beg, take heed_  
_For all that glitters is for naught_  
_Gold hast caused thy foot to stumble_  
_And the love thereof to rot_

_For thy mission to succeed, be not turned astray_  
_Not follow a fool's path for ill-gotten gain_  
_For thee wilt find thy purse better empty_  
_Then filled wit thy companion's disdain_

_The second must learn to guard well his tongue_  
_Whether it be voice or vice_  
_Wise is the man whom keeps his heart young_  
_And looks not at temptation twice_

_Indulgence of pleasure makes one indolent_  
_If thy belly is full, be ye content_  
_Lest in thy slumber, destruction overtake thee_  
_And too late 'ere thy wrongs ye repent_

_The third, note well, tho a crown may be a symbol of right_  
_To the unwary observer yea, its burden may seem light_  
_Yet hasten ye not 'ere ye doth wears it_  
_For thy crown always falls heaviest upon thy head which bears it_

_But Sarah, I do bid thee warn_  
_For thine is a deadly game_  
_For he is thine enemy foresworn_  
_And his poison hast a deadly aim_

_His method willst be to do thy soul harm_  
_Thine innocence must protect thee well_  
_Lest thy heart become possessed by his charm_  
_And thy life become captive to his spell_

_His attack will be swift and the blow unexpected_  
_His mission to confuse and destroy_  
_From whose embrace thee were once protected_  
_Alas if thine defense thee dost not employ_

_Woe to you, oh fallen one of light_  
_Upon whose breast her head once rested_  
_Thy world shalt appear as darkest night_  
_Until thine heart her soul hast rejected_

_The curse handed down from generation to generation_  
_To each of Oberon's offspring, it shalt come_  
_To every survivor, thy brother's hatred borne desolation_  
_Until his evil will hath been done_

_Unless the last of these can give him pause_  
_She hath power she can wield_  
_There is yet a final clause_  
_To wit even his power must yield_

_If he doth attack her and fail,_  
_Hist power o'er her will be lost_  
_Her power will then prevail_  
_And his victory shalt be the cost_

_She must call out her lineage by name_  
_And vocalize his power hast gone_  
_And as the thirteenth chime has struck_  
_His spell will break and then whilst come the dawn_

_And that 'twas the time this story told_  
_But when days were new and times were old."_

When he finished, both Virginia and Wolf looked completely stunned. So not only were they mentioned in an ancient prophecy, but they were also chosen to stop a war before it ever began. Really, this was turning into quite a day!

In the meantime, Wendell had the parchment carefully rolled back up and returned to its place as he wandered back over to his friends, still explaining as he went.

"There has been quite a lot of speculation over the years as to who you were and what all this prophecy meant. There were several conclusions.  
Some people thought it was all a metaphor, that you four heroes were not actually real people, but an overall description of various elements of the 9 Kingdoms and its strong and weak points. This was mostly a view held by the kingdom's zealots and philosophers and is not widely accepted, mainly due to its complex psychology and lack of romance.  
Then there were others who held with the view that you heroes would rise up from among us, and the usual fairytale elements were added. Magic swords in stones, kiss of a princess, a witch's enchantment and other such rubbish. Generally, everyone liked this view, because it held the right amount of romanticism-shepherd-marrying-princess type of magic to it. This was the type of legend you could pass down happily.  
However, Snow White and her descendants always believed that it meant someone from another world. She always held hopes you would come. And when this came up, I knew who it truly meant." Wendell looked at them seriously and replied softly. "You."

Spellbound, the three only stared back at him, then everyone started talking at once. Tony not-so-modestly claiming it was no big deal, Wolf boldly inviting them all to just go ahead and 'bring it on' and Virginia mumbling that she should have just stayed home and gotten married. Wendell indulged them temporarily, but quickly cut in again.

"Friends, please. I am delighted by your excitement and willingness to help, but time is short and there is still much to cover. Now as I have said before, this prophecy is important. What truth there is to be gleaned in it is entirely to your consideration, but I beg you to review these words often in your mind, as you will only find it to your benefit to know them well. Also, as clearly indicated by the prophecy, you will have many tests to pass before you can actually reach your destination."

Virginia looked at him steadily. "Which is?"

Wendell actually paused, then took a very deep, very shaky breath. "I am not sure, but if my interpretation of the prophecy is correct then… the 13th Kingdom."

Virginia, Wolf and Tony all said in unison. "The… _what_?"

* * *

There is perhaps no place on earth quite as dull as the _very_ deepest depths of an ocean. Even an enchanted ocean. What few plants manage to survive there are fragile, starved for the need of light and air under tons of pitch-black motionless water. Only a few fish from the time the ocean came into existence ever descended this far and they learned to adapt to the enormous pressure, creating their own phosphorous glow just to survive. But for the most part, nothing changed here. The sands never shifted, the plants never wavered and not a ripple disturbed the dark, quiet calm. All was peaceful; the ultimate in tranquility.

Until now.

Without warning, the floor of the sea started to rumble slightly. The disturbance caused a tremor to slide upwards before the water slid back into place, held securely by all the pressure above it. Had the plants ability to think for themselves, (which normally would have been a distinct possibility, but anything here had been dormant for too long to remember being that mobile) they would have stared at each other in confusion. Nothing like this had ever happened before. In fact, what _was_ this? The silence; the motionless calm. That was all there was to life. Movement itself, even in the smallest form, simply didn't exist. Yet here it was, hellbent on proving that it _did_ exist, and moreso that it was going to be acknowledged. The sands slid helplessly to and fro as the rumbling grew louder and the earth itself began quaking. The water was unsure how to react as it was crushed between shifting earth below and tremendous pressure from above. But, apparently figuring it would have better luck arguing with its remote cousins upstairs, the black water pushed upward and the waters above began to rock precariously until the top of the ocean had reached the effect of a tidal wave.

And still the tremoring did not stop, but continued to build, until the ocean itself threatened to split inside from the pressure. Then the intrusion changed; the water began to twist, propelled by some unseen power. It sputtered and spun like the beginnings of a tiny undersea tornado. The few small plants screamed inaudibly as they were violently uprooted from their homes and sent flying upwards in the mass of furiously spinning water. The underwater explosion grew more and more violent until it finally broke through the surface with a forceful thrust, shooting a spray of seawater across the surface for miles around. The whirlpool grew and sucked more water down its never-ending chasm. Like a giant drain at the bottom of the ocean had just been unplugged. Then it spit the water back up to the top to be sucked down again.

If a person had happened to be watching this from a close enough distance and happened to be looking from just the right angle, then they _might_ have caught a glimpse of _something_ inside the swirling water. It was almost indiscernible, just a black shadow against a barely lighter shade of water. But it was definitely there and was moving up, propelled by the force of the current as it shot up those towering walls of water to spray out on the sea above. The dark shadow neatly landed and rolled along with the waves spreading out across the remaining water, making its way to shore. No sooner had this shadow disappeared from sight when another one appeared at the foot of the whirlpool and shot its way to the top, followed swiftly by another, and still another. They all alighted noiselessly at the top and floated towards shore, attracting no attention whatsoever as they rocked along on the top of the water; invisible in plain sight. No less then 400 of these subtle shadows emerged the same way, attracting no more notice than their predecessors had. Then the whirlpool dramatically collapsed on itself; its gurgling, wildly thrashing walls of water pouring back in themselves, trying to fill in the hole Nature had punctured. The deep waters sunk quietly back to the depths from whence they came until the ocean was silent once more. Only the shifting sands bore witness that anything had changed until they too became motionless again and all in the sea's inhabitants tried to forget the unsettling experience. All was peaceful. All was calm.

Still far away, but not far enough, the waves lapped gently on seashore as the wind blew the shadows ever nearer to their destination . . .

* * *


	5. Chapter Four

**

* * *

**

**:: Four ::**

* * *

"It ain't possible, I'm tellin ya, it jist ain't possible."

"But it is Harvey. You aren't looking at the matter logically. Now if you figure there's maybe five layers of stone until one were to reach the outside wall, then…"

"I dunno nothin' about no log'c-ally, Smithy. I jist have a purdy good mem'ry and ifen it serves me right, we got thirty extra days 'cause of yer last idea'r. Ah reckon we oughta jist wait 'til Prince Wendy heers about our fix and helps us outta heer."

"Perhaps – he's—right . . . Smithston. At least – we – ought – to think – the matter – through – before we attempt – something -- foolish."

"Now yer makin' sense, Ozzy. Smithy, ya oughta listen to him."

"Oswald, Harvey, I know what I am doing. Just trust me."

The eerie whispers bounced off the stone walls and corridors in the Snow White Memorial Prison; short, staccato and quiet enough not to attract the notice of any passerby. The hallway outside was empty; the guards having made their rounds a few hours earlier. And fortunately they wouldn't be back for another hour at least, having many corridors to patrol. Although the three occupants of this particular cell would quiet down when they heard the tattletale footsteps of the guard outside, they never ceased to squabble once danger had passed.

As par usual, they were arguing over their method of escape, or at least Smithston was. Harvey and Oswald would really much rather have dropped the subject entirely, but that wouldn't have stopped Smithston. Thereby, it became their tradition to argue, which mainly consisted of Smithston concocting some brilliant plan of escape (or so he believed) and his two cell companions desperately trying to talk him out of it. They never succeeded.

Smithston's newest idea was to tunnel under the prison walls. Unfortunately, the prison was built especially to discourage this sort of practice; a fact which conveniently escaped Smithston's notice even though Harvey and Oswald valiantly tried to point it out. Smithston had a very powerful imagination and his plan ran the gambit of everything from homemade explosive devices to an elaborate pulley system to unwedge the stones from the wall. Complications and improbabilities never dampened his spirit. Instead, they only encouraged him to greater and more impossible schemes.

The first of the three companions, Smithston was a beaver, prim and starched as a minister. Most unusual for a wild creature, but then Smithston always considered himself to be a 'cultured' beaver. He was tall, but a bit too pudgy around the stomach, though he fervently denied it. His unruly fur spiked a bit atop his head, but he kept the rest slicked down under a trim brown waistcoat and pleated trousers. A pert bowtie sat stiffly under his chin; tied a smidge too tight and a monocle dangled conspicuously from a slender chain attached to his puffy white shirt. He wore wire-rimmed glasses through which he often peered when he was puzzled, giving him the appearance of a wide-eyed owl just waken.

The second of these was Harvey, a wild hare, brown and rather plain looking. The only thing significant about this creature was his height, which was a towering 8 feet when he bothered to straighten to his full intimidating size. In fact, many people had often speculated on whether this was _the_ "Harvey the Rabbit"; the imaginary friend Jimmy Stewart had picked up in the movie 'Harvey'. But Harvey himself refused to say; being the quiet, withdrawn sort of fellow that he was. It was evident that he was a pleasant, quite comforting person to be around. With his lazy country drawl, he had the ability to put anyone at ease. He was a snap to pick out in any crowd, not just because of his size, but because of the clothes he wore. A wide-brimmed straw hat was propped on his furry head; two holes cut on either side for his large pointed ears to fit through. The hat shadowed his face, almost completely hiding his soft brown eyes and delicate little black nose. Two buck incisors hung out of his mouth surrounded by a poof of white fur covering his muzzle and chin. Faded overalls hung loosely around his thin frame and a cherry red shirt poked out from beneath, stained with the sweat and dirt of a steady outdoorsmen. Dusty leather boots completed the ensemble.

The third -- and final -- member of this odd party was Oswald, a dignified, if somewhat patriarchal, turtle. The stout, portly fellow was the oldest of the trio and beyond a doubt the slowest. It sometimes took him months to get around to the point of a conversation; sometimes he never got to it at all. He had a tendency to hunch over when he sat and like most elderly folk, seemed unaware that the fashion trend he was currently occupying had gone out of style about 30 years ago.

They were each incarcerated on such minor charges that usually they would have been held a month, then brought to trial in front of the magistrate to have the charges dismissed once they made the appropriate retributions. Smithston was guilty of destroying personal property after an error in one of his inventions. He was born to a wealthy family, mostly of medical and scientific backgrounds. Determined to live up to his family's sterling reputation, Smithston had sought to become a famous inventor. All he had succeeded in becoming was a famous disaster. However, since the intent was not malicious, but accidental, Smithston was to be imprisoned only until the magistrate could hear the case.

Harvey had ended up in a skirmish with Lou, an old badger whose crusty temperament was well known, which made it easy to defend the rabbit's innocence. Apparently on the morning in question, Harvey had rounded a corner too fast and collided with the elderly badger. He tried to apologize of course, but Lou would have none of it and insisted the rabbit was deliberately trying to attack him. Harvey was understandably confused by this and tried to clarify matters in his soft drawl. But his gentle attempts only infuriated the hot tempered badger further and Lou belligerently accused him of being stupid. Harvey went dangerously quiet. He was always a little sensitive about his intelligence. He was just a simple country rabbit and perhaps not as learned as some folks out there, but he was. Not. Stupid. So that was why when the officials showed up, they found an elderly badger being stood upside down on his head shouting curses as Harvey quietly responded he could get down when he learned some manners. They arrested Harvey on the spot, but no one could really hold the crime against him. In fact, most of the officials admitted Lou had it coming and it was the best laugh they'd had in years.

As for Oswald, well, he was charged with the crime of moving too slow. Unfortunately, since the turtle never was very fast in the first place (and in recent years, his vision had deteriorated, causing him to move slower than ever), he had collided with a young school of fish at a very busy undersea intersection. The ensuing panic by the teachers trying to collect the gleefully escaping guppies had gotten Oswald's license to swim temporally revoked. And it had also inadvertently had him placed here with his two cell mates for a good six months at least. But Oswald didn't mind. He was the sort of fellow who could be comfortable wherever he was and he certainly wasn't uncomfortable with such equitable companions as Harvey and Smithston. In fact, he never really understood why Smithston wanted to escape so desperately. They would be set free all in good time. But meanwhile, why not enjoy one another's company first?

"Smithy, we done been through all a' this befer. The wall is too dang thick ta tunnel through. And this prison here was built ta be mighty strong. Why, it was created to hold the queen a' evil herself, Snow White's stepmother. And ifen it's strong enough ta cage her in without escapin', I reckon it's gonna keep us here fer a mighty long time."

Smithston just looked sulky. "You could at least be supportive," he mumbled, his whiskers drooping. "You always shoot down my ideas before I've even had a chance to give them a try."

"Best time fer um to be shot down." Harvey's undertone wasn't quite as low as he thought. But his expression softened when he saw how downcast Smithston was. "Awww Smithy, it ain't cause we dun like ya. It's jist cause we dun want you ta do anything dangerous."

"How come just because I'm the one who comes up with the plan, it's dangerous?"

"What Harvey – means is – that we are – your friends… Smithston. We are – only trying to – help you."

Smithston still looked sulky. "Well, I don't intend to sit around here and do nothing," he replied with a baleful glance at the others. Harvey and Oswald just sighed in unison.

"You two fail to take this seriously enough. Suppose the magistrate doesn't reach our cases in time? We could be executed or at least locked away for a very long time. We cannot just sit around and wait for Fate to take its course. We must change the circumstances, affect them, alter them and make them our own. Remember…" here Smithston struck a pose and intoned solemnly, "_'If it is to be, then it is up to me'_."

"Hush now Smithy," Harvey cut in suddenly. "I heer footsteps. I reckon that there guard fella done came back early, 'cause they sound reel close."

"But why in Nine Kingdoms would he do that? I don't like it when my schedule is thrown off, Harvey. It causes me worry. By my calculations, he shouldn't have returned until…"

"Shhh. They've stopped now."

And it was true. Though none of them would say it, they were all very relieved that the footsteps had stopped. There was something eerie about them, something very unlike the slow, lackluster tread of the guards and something not as comforting as the smooth, sturdy footstep of Prince Wendell's royal guard. No -- these footsteps sounded different. Very different. There was something too surreal about the cold, measured staccato of booted heels, the steps even, but offbeat just enough to make the hairs stand up on the back of a person's neck. It was a step that bespoke power; that bespoke authority and expectancy in being obeyed. But mostly, it bespoke fear -- and cruelty to those who did not bow to his will. Yes, these three companions had heard the tread of guards, fellow prisoners and even the cool step of the wicked queen herself, but never-—never anything like this.

"But---who? Who---could it---be?"

For quiet Oswald to be so curious, it signified the gravity of the situation indeed. No, they had not just imagined the gripping fear accompanying those sounds.

"I dunno Ozzy," Harvey hissed, his voice barely audible in the sudden silence. "But, Snow White be praised, they ain't stopped at our door…"

And indeed they hadn't. In fact, it was the door next to theirs, the cell beside them to the right that received this unknown and menacing visitor.

If there was one other topic they were all inclined to disagree on, it was who was imprisoned in the cell next door. Smithston was sure that it was a dangerous criminal, some menace that had to be locked away from the world for his many horrifying misdeeds and was even now plotting to seize the prison by force, which made the paranoid beaver still more determined to escape. Harvey was convinced that it was simply none of their business who was next door and said so, _often_, whenever Smithston was off on one of his tirades again. And Oswald really didn't mind much one way or the other. It was too tiring to think about really and took too long. And it wasn't as if they could do anything about whoever was locked away beside them. So he didn't see why it was worth the effort of discussing. But Smithston was never happy unless he had _something_ to get excited over.

Now all _three_ of the companions were excited and frightened alike, crowding against the door for a good place to listen. And what they heard there would be something they would remember for a long time to come…

* * *


	6. Chapter Five

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* * *

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**:: Five ::**

* * *

Maither came to a complete stop outside the cell and made a subtle gesture with his right hand. One of the burly shadows beside him stepped forward and held out a heavy ring of iron keys, dripping with fresh blood. Maither had them removed from the former -- and now quite deceased -- prison guard on their way in. The shadowy guard inserted one into the lock facing him and turned it until they heard a sharp click. Maither smiled. Or at least what passed for his smile, a mix of grimace and smirk with a dash of razorsharp fang. He stepped into the room after the cell door swung open; his four shadowy guards trailing noiselessly behind. His heeled boots clicked and echoed eerily on the stone walls of the prison, matching his clipped pace stride for stride. It stopped when he stopped; a feral yellow gaze slowly drifting down until it landed on the three terrified figures beneath him.

"Well, well," he mocked softly, "if it isn't the hope of the future for the entire Troll Kingdom." His voice could have oiled a door. "The brave… the fearless… Troll Princes and Princess."

Six pairs of bulging eyes met his in a frozen mask of fear. Burly was the first to respond.

"Who—who are ya?" he snarled, or at least _tried_ to snarl, it actually came out as a croak. Maither only smiled again, quite coldly.

"I have many names, Prince Burly. However you may refer to me as your 'second chance'. The Dark Lord has heard of your work on his behalf. Though unsuccessful, you have verified your loyalty to his cause, which has earned you your freedom."

The two older siblings exchanged shocked glances while Bluebell just looked confused. But since he always looked that way, the other two took no notice. Besides, they were still trying to deal with the significance of what Maither had just told them. Everyone in the legions of evil, whether great or small, had heard of the Dark Lord. It was impossible to know evil in any form and not know of the one who ruled it. Yet his name had never been spoken in the 9 Kingdoms -- not since he had been exiled millenniums previous. Or so the story went. His very existence was only vaguely acknowledged, although his presence was still strong enough to keep even the power-thirstiest of individuals from attempting to secure his position. He _was_ there. They could all sense it. Such incredible depravity in their hearts could not exist without a source.

Many people spoke of the devil. No one expected him to be human.

"Besides, it is the Dark Lord's will that he still has a purpose for you. A plan to redeem yourself for your past failures." Maither made an impressive gesture with his right hand. "After all, the Dark Lord is quite – 'generous'."

Though not sure why, Burly had a feeling that word was deliberately chosen and bore significance. But he thought it best not to inquire too deeply into it.

"We are grateful to his Lordship," he proclaimed quickly, affecting an awkward bow. "How soon may we expect to be sent on this mission?"

"Immediately," Maither replied, nodding at one of his shadow guards. The shadow stepped forward and within seconds, the manacles binding the troll children to the wall fell impotent at their feet. "There is no time to waste, Prince Burly. You and your siblings must leave at once. You must get there first before Wendell's party can reach her."

"Who?"

"Sarah Williams," Maither replied calmly, as if he hadn't just dropped the bombshell of the century. He ignored the stupefied way the Troll kids were staring at him and continued, "The Dark Lord wishes you to find her and bring her to him."

"Sarah Williams?" Burly sputtered, but his sister was focused on a more pressing problem.

"To the 13th Kingdom," she protested loudly. "But that's impossible! No one can cross into the 13th Kingdom!"

Maither arched a brow. "On the contrary, Your Highness. I am resident proof that one _can_ cross the borders -- and quite safely. You needn't worry about gaining access to the Dark Lands. When the time has come for you to enter them, His Lordship will ensure you do."

"But Sarah Williams?" Burly cut in, still struggling with the first task. "That name hasn't been mentioned in the kingdoms since the time of the House of White. Isn't she dead?"

"No," Maither said flatly and it was obvious from his tone that he rather wished that were the case. "She is very much _alive_ and she cannot be found by Wendell. You _must _find her! You _cannot_ fail!"

The trio exchanged glances again. They were only vaguely familiar with the legends surrounding the personage of Sarah Williams. She had always struck them as part heroine, part myth. There were so many stories about her --and they had happened so long ago-- no one was sure what really happened. Nonetheless, her name was known -- almost as well known as Oberon or Titania. It was clear, regardless of what she had or hadn't done, Maither believed firmly that she was no myth. And that she suddenly become very necessary to whatever the Dark Lord had planned. That alone was enough to satisfy the Troll siblings.

"But where should we start looking?" Bluebell asked, a remarkably astute question, particularly coming from him. His family looked surprised, but Maither's expression didn't change.

"Everywhere," he said and his tone invited no argument. "And be warned. Where you find Sarah, the Enemy will not be far."

The trolls trembled in unison. Of course they knew who 'the Enemy' was. King Oberon. If there was anyone in the 9 Kingdoms the trolls feared even more than the Dark Lord, it was King Oberon. All knew his name, but none dared to invoke it.

"But isn't King—er, I mean the Enemy dead?" Bluebell inquired, effectively breaking his temporary streak of intelligence. The other two tried to shoosh him, but not fast enough.

"NO!" Maither shouted, impassiveness suddenly gone. The walls of the prison began to tremble and dust fell, clinging to every orifice. The stones themselves loosened, unable to resist the force of his rage. "No, he is **NOT**! And when --not if-- but _when_ you face him, you will soon wish it were you who was dead. But you must have courage, my prince. You must--not--**fail**!"

With that, he leaned in and grabbed Bluebell by the throat, lifting him effortlessly off his feet. He squeezed until Bluebell's eyes bulged practically out of his head. The others were still too paralyzed with fear to protest.

"You are a fool," he hissed between his teeth. "You know not what the Dark Lord is capable of, nor the depth or weight of his rage. You who has never crossed the 1 and 3 or felt the cold of endless night. You dare speak of death, you who has never known what true darkness is? There are worse things than death." He released the troll, who fell to the ground, gasping for air. "I tell you now, Prince Bluebell, you will not fail the Dark Lord. You cannot _afford _to fail."

Burly, who had rather a better grasp of things than his siblings (though perhaps Bluebell was beginning to get it), quickly apologized. Maither's anger subsided, leaving him completely impassive once more.

"You are free, young highnesses. It is best for you if you get underway. Food & provisions have been provided once you reach the outside gates." He handed Burly the ring of keys that he'd been holding since entering the cell. When Burly had possession of them, he reached into his cloak and withdrew a small, gold ring.

"Once you've located Sarah, twist this ring twice on your finger to summon the Dark Lord's servant. He will ensure that you reach the borders of the 13th Kingdom. Take care that you are not seen by the Enemy. He may have spies nearby to pursue you across the border."

He snapped his fingers, summoning the shadow guards to his side. Directing them to escort the Troll Kids out of their cell, he turned and with a theatrical swirl of his cloak, he was suddenly gone.

* * *

Harvey straightened from where he had one ear pressed against the wall. His look fell first upon Smithston, who was nervously fingering his monocle, then transferred to the worried look of Oswald.

"Well, ifen that done beat all? Tell me ya jist heerd what I jist heerd?"

"This—is very—serious—Harvey," Oswald replied, his face more wrinkled than usual with concern. "Prince Wendell—even the whole—kingdom—is in—danger."

"So I heerd," Harvey murmured, his face sober. He turned to Smithston, his gaze suddenly intense. "Smithy, can ya really do all them fancy inventions that ya claim to do ta git us outta heer?"

Smithston looked surprised. "But Harvey, you always get upset when I even mention my inventions—"

"Not now Smithy," Harvey cut him off tersely. His usually slow drawl was sharp with fear. "Normally I ain't one fer stirrin' up trouble, but tarnation -- this is a _gen-u-ine_ _emergency_! Somebody needs to git word to Prince Wendell. And I'm figurin' that somebody's gonna have ta be us."

Smithston still looked started, but Harvey bent down and began tugging at the stones in the wall. Normally this would be a futile attempt, but even the reinforced mortar of the prison was having a battle resisting the weight of an 8 foot rabbit fuelled by iron determination.

"Hurry. Dig, dig everybody. We've got a kingdom to save!"

* * *


	7. Chapter Six

**:: Six ::**

* * *

"The 13th Kingdom," Wendell continued as if he wasn't interrupted. "I always thought it was just a legend. But considering all this evil has to be stemming from a source, I'm willing to concede there is truth to the stories."

"What is the 13th Kingdom?"

"It's a place my grandmother used to speak about. The world where all evil lives. Giles told me the story. Like I said, I never believed in it before, but I think the time has come to pay attention to old wives tales."

"I've never heard of it," Wolf put in. Being a resident of the 9 Kingdoms, he was the only one likely to have heard it before.

"That's not surprising. According to Giles, Grandmother really tried to keep the story under-wraps. She didn't want to cause a widespread panic over the existence of danger beyond our control. But like it or not, it's now a situation that we face. Denial and ignorance cannot protect us any longer."

"So it isn't technically a part of the 9 Kingdoms?" Virginia said. Wendell shook his curly head.

"No. Not at all. It's outside the borders of our world -- even your world, I'd imagine. All I really know about it is that it's supposed to contain all evil that was or ever will be. And that, supposedly, it is ruled by Oberon's brother."

"Who's that?"

Wendell shook his head again, in warning. "We do not speak or invoke his name. It hasn't been spoken publicly in the kingdoms since his banishment. If he has to be referred to at all, the name we call him by is—" he hesitated uncomfortably, then lowered his voice to finish, "—is _the Dark Lord_."

In unison, the other occupants of the room shivered. Virginia felt a strange tingle at the back of her neck. It was a sensation she'd never experienced before, but it made her think of the expression 'someone walked across her grave'. It was also a feeling she never cared to experience again.

"And all this—this—" she waved a hand helplessly at the heavily-laden desk, "—this prophecy and mystic objects—stuff; it has to do with the Dark Lord somehow?"

Wendell nodded. "These objects belonged -- once upon a time -- to the very same legendary Sarah Williams. Of what value they once were to her I don't know, but they were taken from the 13th Kingdom at a great price and are speculated to be a key to successfully completing your journey. She is an essential fourth companion. No matter what, you must find her and convince her to accompany you on your quest. Without her help, you cannot hope complete it."

"So let me get this straight," Virginia growled, sounding a trifle impatient. "Not only do we have to find this Sarah, but we also have to _convince_ her to join us? Wendell, make it harder on all of us, why don't you?"

"If I could do more to ease your journey I would, Virginia. As it is, this will be exceptionally dangerous and I can make you no guarantees of safety until you get back, if you should happen to get back at all."

"Awfully reassuring, Wendy. Thank you."

"However, I can tell you this," Wendell continued, ignoring Virginia's grumbling, "If you decide not to undertake this journey, the 9 Kingdoms are surely doomed. And your kingdom will not be long in following. The ruler of the 13th Kingdom will not stop until all the kingdoms are as dark as his own."

The silence that followed this statement was sober. Everyone realized that Wendell was not exaggerating. He was genuinely serious about the danger that faced them and equally aware that the lives of all of them rested on the shoulders of these four brave travelers. Suddenly Virginia felt very small.

"Wendell, are you sure this prophecy was speaking of us? We aren't exactly what one would think of as heroes."

Wendell smiled. "On the contrary Virginia, there is no one I can think of more heroic than you."

Virginia blushed. She never thought of herself as a hero. She'd used to classify herself as 'just a waitress', unfit for any sort of adventure; too ordinary to handle things like ancient prophecies and malevolent villains. But after her first adventure in the 9 Kingdoms, she'd learned a few things; one of which was not to be fooled by appearances. If their company were the ones who could help, well then they would just have to manage -- somehow.

"So where are we supposed to look for this Sarah Williams?"

Wendell's face twisted with regret. "I don't know," he confessed softly. "I honestly wish I did. The best I can offer is that you should travel to the 7th Kingdom to start your inquiries. That is Fae country; if you search there, you have a good a chance as any to find what you are looking for."

He crossed the room to where the map of the 9 Kingdoms was hanging, completely covering one wall. "If you head due east," he began, marking a course across the map as he spoke, "you should reach the 7th Kingdom within three to four days. You'll have to scale the Canopy Mountains to reach Avalon. Ask for Lord Fikaden. I've already dispatched a messenger to let him know you are coming. He will do all he can to help you find Sarah."

"Can't King Oberon help us?" Virginia asked softly, having a feeling he would be the best one to make inquires with. Wendell half-smiled.

"I'm sure he could milady, but King Oberon has not been seen in the Kingdoms in over a hundred years. Where he is or what he might be doing, I'd dare not speculate. I only wish he was here. I have a feeling we will have great need of his assistance before all is said and done."

"Huff-Puff," Wolf exclaimed. "An adventure. I can hardly wait! This is going to be so fun--" he caught his fiancee's glare and sobered abruptly, "—er, so _funny _to recount to our grandchildren someday, once we've returned safely of course, from our _swift _adventure in which we are placed in _no peril whatsoever_ and everything is resolved so we live _happily ever after. _Right honey?"

He grinned charmingly at Virginia, who just rolled her eyes at him. "Wendell," she said, ignoring Wolf completely, "How long do you suppose all this will take? I hate to say it, but I'm not in much shape to go adventuring. Three, maybe four months at the most, and I'm gonna pop."

"Well I'm hoping you can locate Sarah without too much trouble. After that, your guess is as good as mine." He sighed, pacing agitatedly to and fro. "The only reason I am even allowing you to go on this journey in your condition is because the prophecy makes it clear you are needed. Also, I have a feeling that you and Sarah are connected in some way, though I'm not sure what it is that connects you. I apologize for asking you to do this, but I feel there is no other option. And once you return to the castle, you will have the best medical care possible. No harm will come to you or your baby Virginia. That I promise you."

"Besides, if you go into labor I know what to do," Wolf insisted. "I've seen the midwife deliver cubs before -- it doesn't look that difficult."

Virginia nearly shrieked. "Wolf, you are not delivering our baby!" Wolf tried to whine a protest, but she cut him off with an empathic shake of her head. "Trust me, it's for your _own _protection. You don't want to be anywhere _near _me when this baby comes -- it'll make your monthly full moon cycle is going to look like nothing compared to motherly rage."

"Trust me, she's right," Wendell said with a smile. He clapped Wolf on the shoulder and nodded at both of them. "I have rooms set up for you and provisions packed so you can leave first thing in the morning."

Tony, who had been strangely quiet this whole time to let the others catch up, now chimed in. "Us? Aren't you coming too, Wendell?"

King Wendell shook his head. "Much as I'd love to go, I'm sorry to say my responsibilities to the Fourth Kingdom prevent me from doing so. Now I suggest we all turn in. You have a long journey ahead of you and unfortunately, thanks to the attacks on my Kingdom, so do I."

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the dryness of this chapter, people -- but unfortunately exposition is _necessary _for plot points! (sigh) Forgive me, but I promise more fun chapters are on the way! And, for those who asked, Sarah _will _be appearing soon -- & you know where Sarah is, the _man of the hour_ (our dear Jareth) is never far behind! (grin)

Hopefully I'll be looking at the next chapter by end of this week to early part of next. But reviews help motivate me & remind me what to write, so don't forget to review after you read ok? (grins) Also, I had to rewatch the movie 10th Kingdom last weekend because I realized just how much of the canon I forgot from not writing this in so long. I was surprised by how many details I had forgotten, but I'm thrilled to say it reinspired me & reminded me of all the reasons why I loved the movie in the first place. Soooo--

My challenge of the week: If you haven't watched 10 K in awhile, rent it & watch it again. I promise, it'll be the highlight of your week. & if you've never seen the movie -- what _are _you waiting for? It's a brilliant mix of fairytale and modern storytelling -- so watch, imagine & enjoy!

Christy


	8. Chapter Seven

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**:: Seven :: **

* * *

It was early the next morning when they left. The sun had just begun its slow ascent over the horizon and birds were chirping merry songs, oblivious to the existence of the small rescue party just leaving the castle. The party gathered first in the stables to make preparations to go. King Wendell had insisted they ride most of the way, for the sake of speed, and send the horses back to the castle once they reached the mountains. There was barely time for the horses to be loaded, the goodbyes to be said and hugs to be exchanged before they rode through the gates and off to adventure.

Tony, surprisingly, proved to be the best rider among them. This was probably due to the practice he'd gained over the past three months spent living in the Kingdoms, where the only mode of travel --short of magic-- was by horseback or carriage. Wolf proved the worst, since he by nature didn't get along well with horses and the horse seemed to sense his animosity --or possibly his wolf alter ego-- and acted accordingly. Virginia found herself riding a sturdy mare and due to multiple pony rides in Central Park as a little girl, the two got along quite well.

So it was at this time that they found themselves wondering where to go first. Virginia was navigating, as Wolf had enough to do trying to control his horse and no one trusted Tony to give directions. She had a map of the Kingdoms spread across her lap --rather a difficult task whilst riding a horse, but her rounded belly helped wedge it against the saddle-- and held a compass clutched in her right hand.

"So Wendell said we need to head east, which would be—" she hesitated to double check herself, "—left, it looks like. Apparently when we get there, we'll need to head more north to find Avalon, but for now, directly east is our proper course."

"Directly east will take us straight through the Goldilocks Forest," Wolf mused thoughtfully. Virginia slanted a questioning brow at him.

"Goldilocks Forest? Is that named after—" she broke off at Wolf's nod. "Oh I see."

"Its not really dangerous," Wolf assured her gently. "Its just strongly recommended that travelers _do not_, under any circumstances, wander into any cottages and eat cooling bowls of porridge -- no matter how temperature perfect they may be."

"That's ok," Virginia muttered. "I don't have much of an appetite for porridge."

"That's because you've never tasted bear porridge before. They can do more with a bowl of porridge than most people can do with an entire thirteen course dinner." Wolf paused to lick his lips in appreciation. "It's the highlight of the Red Riding Hood Memorial Picnic. The bears bring their porridge and every year they are begged for the recipe. But bear porridge is a well guarded family secret that's passed down from bear family to bear family. They will never give it up."

"He's right," Tony added. "We had bear porridge for breakfast twice a week at Wendell's castle. Its hardly recognizable as porridge, it's so good. But apparently only the bears can do it. It has to be hand-delivered to the castle from Goldilocks Forest. Still, waking up to a bowl of fresh bear porridge --not too hot, not too cold-- just right—," he groaned and rubbed his stomach, "—it's the best part of the morning. Better than coffee."

Virginia stared at the two men in her life in disbelief while they compared the finer points from different variations of bear porridge. Apparently the side of the forest the porridge came from affected the flavor and there was a southern, northern, eastern and western type of porridge. Virginia rolled her eyes as the conversation grew prolonged. Trust the guys to focus on food rather than their mission.

They were deep in the woods before they knew it, and though they did glimpse the occasional bear family between the trees, the bears left them well alone. And apparently there weren't nearly as many out right now as there could be because, according to Wolf, it wasn't 'Sabbatical Hour', which followed the 'Cooking Hour', when most of the bear families did their cooking, then went out for a 'sabbatical' whilst the porridge cooled. Not every bear family held to the same mealtime, but there was a common time established throughout the forest (though time zones tended to change depending on which side one was on) and they had hit midmorning time, too early for lunch, too late for breakfast. So the scarcity of bears made it easier for Virginia and Tony to relax and Wolf regaled them with stories until they reached the other side of the wood.

A few feet from the line of pine trees which marked the other end of Goldilocks Forest, Wolf raised a hand, bringing the party to a halt. His green eyes narrowed and he sniffed, then scanned the foliage surrounding them. Virginia tried to say something, but he waved her silent.

"Someone is following us," he hissed, in a tone low enough so only Virginia and Tony could hear it.

Virginia's eyes widened. She darted her own glance around, but all she could see was lush green trees and brush, swaying gently in the wind. The air was filled with the sound of birds chirping and the occasional rumbling of bears speaking to one another as they walked by in the distance. But nowhere could she see a sign of anything amiss.

"Are you sure," she whispered back to Wolf. He nodded.

"I can smell them," he murmured, low and tense. "I've smelled 'her' since we entered the forest. It's a woman -- that much I can tell you for sure. And she's alone. But who she is or what she wants with us, I couldn't begin to guess. But she is very close now."

Suddenly, so suddenly in fact that no one had time to react, there was a bloodcurdling yell from above them. A figure flew down mysteriously from midair, screaming as it landed. It hit Virginia's saddle, startling her horse considerably and gripped. The maddened horse whinnied and reared back, pawing the air, flinging Virginia free of his back as it bolted. The figure clung to its back resiliently and tried to rein it in, but the horse would have none of it. It ran like the dickens, the mystery attacker still riding it, clinging wildly to the saddlebow.

Tony, showing amazing fortitude for him, but it would seem time spent in the Kingdoms had served to greatly sharpen his wits, raced after the horse to catch the flying reins. Wolf leapt free from his own horse and ran to assist his wife, who was stunned but unharmed. Good fortune it would seem was with them, for Tony's bigger horse caught up with Virginia's mare rather quickly, possibly also because the mare was a pert little thing and tired easily. She didn't really want to run, nor did she have anywhere worth running to. She made a half hearted attempt to race from the woods, but when Tony caught her reins and urged her to a stop, she allowed herself to be coaxed into calming down and meekly followed him back to Wolf and Virginia. Not so for the figure atop the horse. It proved to be a small, wildly dressed thing, which was, as Wolf had predicted, quite female. She was also in possession of an excellent pair of lungs and used them to shriek like a banshee and fling curses at Tony in an unknown dialect as he marched her and the horses firmly back. But, small as she was, she could neither break Tony's grip on her, nor overpower him so willingly or unwillingly she was made to return to the rest of the party with Tony.

Wolf glanced up at them as they came back and he looked suspiciously at the girl, but directed his question to Tony.

"Who is she?"

Tony shrugged. "I really don't know. I haven't been able to get a word out of her that I understand—" he began, but broke off with a howl as the vixen he held kicked him petulantly in the thigh and yanked free of his grip. She let out another ear-splitting shriek and leapt at Virginia, flipping neatly head over heels, which landed her practically ontop of the other woman. It was a whip-fast, brilliantly executed move and the girl would've reached her goal, if not for Wolf's animal reflexes. He was ready for her this time and moved just as fast, sticking out an arm which blocked her flip and knocked her clean on her back. She was surprised, but not too winded and flipped back up to her feet with amazing speed, but Wolf wrapped his arms around her slim waist, preventing another attack. She screamed at him and struggled for freedom, but Wolf only held to her tighter, giving her a slight shake to shut her up.

"Stop it," he ordered. "Huff-Puff! You fuss worse than a piglet on the dinner menu. No one is going to harm you here. Now what do you want from us?"

"_Mă lăsa în pace_!"

Wolf looked sternly at her. "What was that? Speak English."

The girl glared at him and spat, "_Du-de dracului_!" Just the way she said it made the air turn blue, even though no one knew what it meant. Wolf scowled and shook her again, though not unkindly.

"Speak English. I know you can."

The girl glared holes through his forehead, but finally muttered sulkily in a thick accent, "What do you wish to know, _intrus_?"

"First of all, why are you following us?" Wolf demanded. "And who are you? Why did you try to attack my wife? What's your problem?"

The girl glowered and twisted the edge of skirt in her hands without answering. Though she was a wild little creature, she was dressed simply in woodland tones, which was how she camouflaged herself so expertly in the tree before leaping down on them. The most remarkable thing about her was a tossup between her skirt, hunter green, but dotted here and there with bright, shiny sequins and her eyes, which were a startling shade of clear violet. However, they were narrowed suspiciously at the moment and abruptly the girl stomped a small brown foot and spat.

"You are not welcome here, _intrus! Necredindos! Cotropitors!" _She pointed at them accusingly and hissed, "I curse you! I curse you! _Calca che vacca_!"

"We are not outsiders," Wolf insisted. "Well, I mean, Virginia and Tony are not originally from around these parts, but I am. And they are welcomed by King Wendell himself, which makes them guests, not outsiders."

The girl snorted and tossed her head back. Sunlight filtered through the trees, hit and reflected off a gold hoop dangling from her earlobe. "I know who you are," she snorted. "You are _lup-bărbat; _'man who is wolf'. But that does not make you one of us."

Wolf looked solemnly at her. "One of us? Who are you?"

The girl snorted again. "Do you not recognize me? I am Madalina Iulian, greatest tracker of all the Rom. I would've outwitted you, were it not for your nose, _lup-bărbat_."

"You are a gypsy?"

The girl nodded. "_Da_. I can disguise my scent, but alas, I did not know you were a part-wolf. I did not bring the proper herbs to hide from you and I couldn't lose track of you to find some."

"Why are you following us?" Tony interjected. He'd been silent 'til now, as puzzled as the rest of them by their diminutive attacker, but was determined to reach the bottom of it. "What have we ever done to you?"

The girl glared dark threats from stormy violet eyes. "It is your fault," she cried. "My family, they did nothing to anger the Huntsman. You killed them. It is you, even you, who has killed them all."

Then, just as quickly as it came, the fire in her eyes died and she started weeping noisily, burying her face in her hands. The trio remaining exchanged surprised glances. Too late they remembered the gypsy kumpana they stumbled upon in their last visit to the Kingdoms. Because the gypsies had given shelter and food to the strangers and didn't turn them over to the Huntsman as ordered, the Huntsman killed the entire kumpana in retribution. None survived -- or at least the _assumption_ was that none survived. Apparently, they were proven wrong on that score.

Now granted, the gypsies were not without blame. They'd taken their vengeance against Virginia by cursing her with hair that grew indefinitely after Virginia robbed them of some of their spoils. But it wasn't much consolation now as Virginia stared at the grief-stricken girl who'd had her whole family slaughtered. A few split ends weren't much competition to that kind of betrayal. She found herself unable to blame the little gypsy girl for her anger. All things considered, if the tables were reversed, she'd doubtless be doing the same thing.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "How horrible for you. Of course you want to blame someone. I can't even imagine how much pain you must be going through." She stood with an effort, placing her hands around her rounded stomach. Once she reached her feet, she slipped over to where the gypsy was, still being restrained by Wolf. She scowled at him and pushed his hands free of the gypsy's arms.

"Wolf really, she's just a child," she scolded, forgetting how only moments ago, that 'child' was throwing itself about like a wild, maddened animal. She pulled the girl awkwardly in her arms and patted her back, letting the girl cry into her chest.

"There, there honey. Let it all out," she insisted, hugging the gypsy girl. The girl sobbed into Virginia's chest until there were no sobs left, only the occasional sniffle. She still let Virginia cradle her for a moment, all the fight gone out of her.

"I do not cry," the words came muffled and defiant out of Virginia's chest. "I am Rom. I am strong. I do not cry."

Virginia tried not to smile. "Of course not," she crooned. "Just rest now. Take deep breaths. You are going to be fine."

The girl looked up at the older woman, her eyes calculating. "Why are you being so kind to me, outsider?" she demanded. Virginia smiled sadly.

"I know what its like to lose a family," she replied softly. "My mother died a few months ago. I miss her very much. Just as I am sure you miss your family." She hugged the girl's thin shoulders, then tsked. "My goodness, you are skin and bones. You must be famished. Wolf, would you get some bread and cheese out of the saddlebags. We need to feed this poor girl."

The gypsy girl poked herself in her small chest. "I live off the land," she bragged. "Madalina knows the best places to find nuts and berries. Madalina not starve. _Nici_!"

"Well, it never hurts to have some extra food in your stomach and we have plenty," Virginia replied gently. She took the food Wolf reluctantly handed her from their provisions and handed it to her. "Madalina -- that's your name right?" At the girl's nod, she added, "Well help yourself, Madalina." She grinned. "And how about if we call you Maddy? It's a bit easier to say."

Madalina paused from her ravenous chewing to think it over. "Maddy?" she mumbled, tearing another hunk of bread apart and shoving it in her mouth. "_Da_. I like it."

"Virginia," Wolf protested. He sounded pained. "We don't know anything about this girl. We can't just pick her up like we would a stray cat. Besides, she's a thief."

Virginia gasped and glared hotly at her husband. "Wolf! How could you say such a thing? Just because she's a gypsy doesn't make her a thief. That's a horrible and completely unfair stereotype!"

"It has nothing to do with stereotypes," Wolf argued. "Believe me, I understand completely about unfair stereotypes. No, what I am referring to is the fact that she stole Tony's pocket-watch."

Tony gasped and checked his vest, where sure enough, a gold chain dangled conspicuously devoid of a timepiece. Maddy looked unusually serene. She cocked her head to one side and studied Wolf.

"How do you know I took it," she asked calmly. "How do you know it didn't just fall off somewhere in the forest?"

"Because I can see it hidden there in your hand," Wolf returned, just as calmly. Virginia and Tony both looked and he was right. Rays of sunlight from above caught snatches of gold clasped between her fingers. The girl looked down and grinned. Without a trace of remorse, she handed the watch back to Tony and looked at them all proudly. Her eyes twinkled merrily and she danced back and forth on her tiptoes. She was actually preening over the theft.

"Pretty good, _da_?" she asked happily. "Fastest hands in the whole 4th Kingdom. The other Rom, oh they try. But no one is faster than Madalina."

"But you were caught," Wolf objected. Maddy waved that away.

"But you did not see me," she pointed out. "You saw the watch later, _da_? But you did not see me grab it. I am too fast to be seen. Even the eyes of _lup-bărbat _do not see me." She spun on her toes and applauded herself. She shrieked delightedly, startling the others considerably. "_Aiyee_! I leap for joy! _Extraordinar! Fabulos_! I am good. I am _magnific_!"

Virginia exchanged a puzzled glance with the others. She wasn't used to seeing anyone so self-confident. Wolf had a lot of poise and passion, but even he had a tendency to beat himself down when he did something less human and more wolf-like. But whatever morals this gypsy girl might be lacking, self-esteem wasn't one of them.

"Well, yes -- it was impressive certainly," she ventured cautiously. "But stealing is a crime, Maddy. It's not right to take things from others."

Maddy nodded. "_Da._ Yes. Stealing is a crime. But gypsies must eat, no? I travel with you now, I eat with you. This 'steal', it displeases you. I cut it from my life," she made a firm chopping motion with her hand. "_Nici!_ Never! I steal no more."

Virginia exchanged glances with her companions again. "Er, yes. Well, yes good," she stuttered, not sure how to take this excitable child. "Right. Well, that um works for me. Satisfied everyone?" She darted a look at the others. Tony nodded, a bit helplessly. Wolf still didn't seem convinced.

"Well," he drawled reluctantly. "We are on a time _table_ Virginia. We cannot really afford to have a child along with us, slowing us down."

"Madalina no child," Maddy argued. "I help you, yes? I am best tracker of all the Rom. You look for something beyond your reach. Madalina help you find it."

Wolf scowled. "How do you know we are looking for something?"

Maddy grinned. "Madalina know many secrets. I help you now. For free, _da_?"

"Why would you want to help us?"

Maddy lifted her chin. She settled back on her heels, her mercurial mood swinging from effervescent to serious in an instant. "You are friends with King Wendell," she spoke simply. "My people, they are hunted like dogs, scattered all places. I help you, you tell King Wendell and he listen to me. He make a refuge in the 4th Kingdom for us, a place we can go, be free from harm. My people, the Rom, they like that. We have been running for too long. We need a place we can rest, _da_? We are like the wind, always moving, always free. Yes, the Rom _is_ the wind, but even the winds need rest when the storm is over."

Virginia's eyes softened with sympathy. "Well, that certainly sounds fair to me," she said with a warning look at Wolf. Wolf rolled his eyes. It seemed to him that his wife was still very much what her father frequently referred to as a 'soft touch'. But he had no choice but to capitulate.

"Fine," he grumbled, still not completely trusting this gypsy girl. Maddy beamed back at him, her violet eyes shining radiantly.

"_Uimitor_! You follow me now, _da_? We must hurry or the tracks will get cold. Come now. Come!"

With that she went skipping off down the path, leaving Wolf, Virginia and Tony no choice but to follow. Which, after securing the horses and getting Virginia at least safely mounted again, they did.

* * *

**A/N** :: For the OCD readers (much like myself), who will drive themselves crazy trying to figure out what our Maddy said -- I will translate. Our little gypsy is speaking (as quite predicable) Romanian. The first thing she says is (roughly), "Leave me alone." The second thing is (as you probably guessed) a swear word (not particularly vulgar, but don't go repeating it around the house or to any Romanian friends you may have). She calls them intrus (outsiders/strangers), necredindos (infidels) and cotropitors (invaders). And finally the curse she levies on them is: "May you be trampled by a cow" -- a Romanian favorite.

Just FYI. Not being Romanian in origin myself, I translated as best I could, but my grammar probably sucks. So if you are a Rom, know that I have the highest respect for you and your language and go easy on me, ok? (grins)

-- Diana

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End file.
